Synchronized accessibility for client devices in an online conference collaboration

ABSTRACT

Techniques and systems for synchronized accessibility for client devices in an online conference are described. For example, a conferencing system receives presentation content and audio content as part of the online conference from a client device. The conferencing system generates sign language content by converting audio in the audio content to sign language. The conferencing system then synchronizes display of the sign language content with the presentation content in a user interface based on differences in durations of segments of the audio content from durations of corresponding segments of the sign language content. Then, the conferencing system outputs the sign language content as synchronized with the presentation content, such as to a viewer client device that requested the sign language content, or to storage for later access by viewers that request sign language content.

BACKGROUND

Online conferences including web conferencing, online meetings,webinars, and so forth are implemented to provide an immersive andinteractive experience to participants via corresponding client devicesvia a network. Online conferences allow people across the world tocollaborate using a variety of different types of media content (i.e.,audio, digital images, video, software demonstrations, and so forth).Oftentimes, however, participants in online conferences have adisability that makes consumption of different media content itemsdifficult, especially at real-time speeds. For example, current onlineconference systems do not provide adequate accessibility options forviewers who have a hearing impairment and cannot hear a presenter of theonline conference, especially in real-time online conferences.Consequently, viewers of online conferences with disabilities miss outon consuming important online conference content.

SUMMARY

Techniques and systems are described to enable viewers of an onlineconference to access synchronized accessibility options during theonline conference. For example, a conferencing system receivespresentation content, such as a slideshow, a video, a screen share, asoftware demonstration, and so forth as part of the online conferencefrom a client device. The conferencing system also receives audiocontent such as a live or pre-recorded audio stream of the presenter ofthe online conference from the client device. The conferencing systemgenerates sign language content by converting audio in the audio contentto sign language. The sign language content may include an animatedcharacter, or avatar, that presents the audio content in sign languagein real time, for instance. The conferencing system then synchronizesdisplay of the sign language content with the presentation content in auser interface based on differences in durations of segments of theaudio content from durations of corresponding segments of the signlanguage content. For example, the conferencing system aligns thepresentation content with the sign language content using a time stampfrom the presentation content aligned with a time stamp from the audiocontent assigned to the corresponding sign language content.

Because segments of the sign language content may be different durationsthan segments of the original presentation content and audio content,different techniques may be used to align the presentation content withthe sign language content, such as presenting a visual warning to thepresenter of the online conference to slow down, or adding a delay tothe presentation content as necessary to align the sign language contentwith the corresponding presentation content. Then, the conferencingsystem outputs the sign language content as synchronized with thepresentation content, such as to a viewer client device that requestedthe sign language content, or to storage for later access by viewersthat request sign language content. In this way, participants of onlineconferences can view the online conference with sign language contentsynchronized with a presentation without losing any of the onlineconference content or experience.

This Summary introduces a selection of concepts in a simplified formthat are further described below in the Detailed Description. As such,this Summary is not intended to identify essential features of theclaimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid indetermining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The detailed description is described with reference to the accompanyingfigures. Entities represented in the figures may be indicative of one ormore entities and thus reference may be made interchangeably to singleor plural forms of the entities in the discussion.

FIG. 1 is an illustration of an environment in an example implementationthat is operable to employ techniques for synchronized accessibility inan online conference collaboration described herein.

FIG. 2 depicts a system in an example implementation showing operationof an accessibility module of FIG. 1 in greater detail.

FIG. 3 depicts a system in an example implementation showing operationof a synchronization module of FIG. 2 in greater detail.

FIG. 4 depicts a system in an example implementation showing operationof a conference system including presenting synchronized presentationcontent to selected client devices utilizing the techniques describedherein.

FIG. 5 depicts an example implementation showing a user interface thatis output to a client device in an online conference utilizing thetechniques for synchronized presentation content as described herein.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram depicting a procedure in an exampleimplementation in which presentation content is synchronized with signlanguage content in an online conference collaboration system.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example system including various components of anexample device that can be implemented as any type of computing deviceas described and/or utilized with reference to FIGS. 1-6 to implementembodiments of the techniques described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Overview

Online conferences are becoming increasingly popular to disseminateinformation between remote participants. One of the benefits of onlineconferences is that many different types of information can be sharedbetween remote participants, even simultaneously. For example, an onlineconference may present a slideshow, a live video feed of a presenter,live audio of the presenter, a chat box between the online conferenceparticipants, and profile pictures of the conference participants all ina single user interface. However, conventional conference systems oftendo not provide accessibility options for people with disabilities. Forinstance, conventional conference systems do not provide a person with ahearing impairment with acceptable ways to consume the content of anonline conference, especially in real time.

Particularly, transcriptions of audio content, such as to sign language,often have a delay following the stream of audio in order to interpretthe audio content and generate the translation. In an online conferencescenario, this transcription delay causes the content of the audiostream of the online conference to be misaligned from the other contentdisplayed in the online conference user interface. In fact, manyconventional conference systems do not provide sign languagetranscriptions until after an online conference is complete, and theentire online conference is delivered to a remote source for translationservices. Online conference participants with disabilities usingconventional conference systems are left without a way to consume theentire experience of an online conference.

Accordingly, techniques and systems are described in which a conferencesystem is configured to synchronize sign language content with onlineconference presentation content to provide accessibility of the onlineconference to online conference participants. The conference system, forinstance, may be configured to support an interactive experience betweenclient devices in a variety of different ways. Examples of which includeuse as part of an online application (via a subscription-based servicesystem), provide opportunities to purchase a good or service, onlinestorage, or other web service that is accessible via a network. Theconference may include a variety of different content that may becommunicated and stored digitally or electronically, e.g., movies,books, documents, games, applications, images, audio files, and so on.

To begin, the conference system receives presentation content and audiocontent as part of the online conference from a client device. In oneexample, the presentation content is one or more streams of visualcontent, such as a video of a presenter of the online conference, videorelated to subject matter of the online conference, a slideshow, asoftware demonstration, a screen share, and so forth. The audio contentis one or more streams of audio such as a presenter's voice, audioassociated with a video related to subject matter of the onlineconference, audio associated with a slideshow or software demonstration,and so forth. The online conference provides an interactive experiencebetween multiple client devices to share the presentation content andthe audio content, which may occur in real time. Alternatively oradditionally, the online conference is provided for subsequentconsumption by users after the online conference has concluded (e.g., asa Webinar).

In addition to the presentation content and audio content describedabove, the online conference can support different types of userinteraction to provide an immersive experience for participants, such asa note portion (e.g., notes to be shared by a presenter), a shareportion (e.g., documents, spread sheets, or other digital content sharedwith other attendees), a chat portion (e.g., to communicate with all orone particular attendee within the online conference), a poll portion(e.g., to poll attendees of the conference), a notepad portion (e.g., toretain notes personal to particular attendees of the online conference),or an attendee portion to list “who” is attending the online conference.

After receiving the presentation content and the audio content, theconference system generates sign language content by converting audio inthe audio content to sign language. For example, the conference systemincludes a library of words in a language of the presenter of the onlineconference, along with translations of the words in the library to signlanguage. The conference system translates words in the received audiocontent to sign language using the library, and generates the signlanguage content using the translation, such as by causing an avatar toexecute the sign language content. Consequently, the conference systemgenerates a stream of visual sign language content that corresponds tothe received audio content of the online conference.

Oftentimes, a duration of time to sign a word or phrase is differentthan a duration of time to speak the word or phrase. Over a prolongedonline conference, the difference in durations to sign multiple words orphrases compared to the durations to speak the words or phrases canbecome amplified. In conventional systems, this can lead to significantdifferences between the presentation content that is currently beingdisplayed in the online conference and the sign language content beingdisplayed that represents the audio content for the online conference.

For instance, a presenter may be displaying a slideshow presentation aspart of an online conference, and speaking to describe additionaldetails not displayed on a slide, or answer questions from onlineconference participants about the slide. The presenter may conclude herdescription of the slide and move onto the next slide, continuing todescribe the following slide's content. However, the sign languagecontent of a conventional system may not keep pace with the presenter'saudio in describing the first slide. When the presenter moves to thenext slide, a user interface of a conventional online conference maystill be displaying the sign language content from the previous slide.As the presenter moves through her presentation, the time differencebetween her audio content and the sign language content may continue toexpand, causing confusion and frustration for sign language contentrecipients.

On the other hand, the conference system described herein synchronizesthe sign language content with the presentation content based ondifferences in durations of segments of the audio content from durationsof corresponding segments of the sign language content. In an example,the conference system utilizes time stamps associated with the audiocontent, the presentation content, and the sign language content tosynchronize the sign language content with the presentation content. Todo so, the conference system matches a time stamp from the presentationcontent with a word, phrase, or other segment of the sign languagecontent based on a time stamp from the audio content that corresponds toboth the sign language content and the presentation content. Theconference system may add a delay to the presentation content, pause thepresentation content, provide a notification to the presenter to slowdown to accommodate the generation of the sign language content, and soforth in order to accommodate the different durations between the signlanguage content and the presentation content.

The conference system then outputs the sign language content assynchronized with the presentation content. Outputting the sign languagecontent as synchronized with the presentation content can includeoutputting the presentation content and sign language content to aclient device in real time, outputting the presentation content and signlanguage content to cloud storage for later consumption by clientdevices, and so on. Consider again the online conference example thatincludes slides as presentation content and a presenter speaking toprovide audio content. Using the conference system described herein, aparticipant who requested sign language content as part of the onlineconference will receive a package of synchronized content that includesa slide shown at a specific moment, audio spoken at the specific moment,and the corresponding sign language generated by translating the audiospoken at the specific moment. Particularly, the sign language ispresented to the participant at the same specific moment thatcorresponds to the slide, just as another participant would hear thepresenter speak with the corresponding slide.

The described techniques for providing synchronized accessibility forclient devices in an online conference collaboration help participantswith physical disabilities consume online conference content in an easyand immersive way. Furthermore, the described techniques provide onlineconferences that comply with Section 508 guidelines, the Americans withDisabilities Act (ADA), and other regional and country-specificregulations without the cost and inconvenience of hiring an in-personsign language interpreter for each online conference. Accordingly, bothconsumption of online conferences for persons with physicaldisabilities, along with the production of online conferences for a widerange of participants, is greatly simplified with a seamless, accessibleexperience for all participants.

In the following discussion, an example environment is described thatmay employ the techniques described herein. Example procedures are alsodescribed which may be performed in the example environment as well asother environments. Consequently, performance of the example proceduresis not limited to the example environment and the example environment isnot limited to performance of the example procedures.

Example Environment

FIG. 1 is an illustration of a digital medium environment 100 in anexample implementation that is operable to employ online conferencetechniques described herein. The illustrated environment 100 includes aconference system 102 and client devices 104, 106, that arecommunicatively coupled, one to another, via a network 108. Computingdevices that implement the conference system 102 and client devices 104,106 may be configured in a variety of ways.

A computing device, for instance, may be configured as a desktopcomputer, a laptop computer, a mobile device (e.g., assuming a handheldconfiguration such as a tablet or mobile phone as illustrated), and soforth. Thus, a computing device may range from full resource deviceswith substantial memory and processor resources (e.g., personalcomputers, game consoles) to a low-resource device with limited memoryand/or processing resources (e.g., mobile devices). Additionally, asingle computing device may be representative of several differentdevices, such as multiple servers utilized by a business to performoperations “over the cloud” as described in FIG. 7.

The conference system 102 includes a conference manager module 110. Theconference manager module 110 is implemented at least partially inhardware of a computing device (e.g., processing system andcomputer-readable storage media) to manage an online conference 112between the client devices 104, 106. The online conference 112, forexample, may be configured as a web conference, online meeting, webinar,and so forth. The client devices 104 and 106 each include acommunication module 312, 134, to communicate with other client devicesand with the conference system 102 during the online conference 112,such as to send audio and presentation content, receive audio andpresentation content, receive sign language content, communicate via achat box, and so forth.

A user interacting with client device 104, for instance, may provide auser input through interaction with a user interface 114 of a conferencepresenter module 116 (e.g., mobile application, third-party browserplug-in, etc.) to initiate the online conference 112. This may includespecifying a time at which the online conference 112 is to begin andend, attendees that are permitted to join the online conference 112(e.g., a user of client device 106), a title and subject matter of theonline conference, and so forth.

The conference manager module 110, upon receipt of data corresponding tothe user input, is configured to initiate the online conference 112 asinstructed. A user of client device 106, for instance, may interact witha user interface 118 output by a conference viewer module 120 to jointhe online conference 112. This may include selection of a secure (e.g.,obscured) link, provision of user credentials, download of theconference viewer module 120 for execution within a browser, and soforth. The conference system 102 may then manage the online conference112, such as to serve as an intermediary for communications between theclient devices 104, 106. In another example, functionality of theconference system 102 is implemented in whole or in part through use ofthe conference presenter module 116 and the conference viewer module120, such as to support a peer-to-peer network, direct communicationbetween the client devices 104, 106 via the network 108, and so forth.

The online conference 112, as previously described, is typicallyconfigured to provide an immersive and interactive experience. To do so,the user interfaces 114, 118 output by the conference presenter module116 and the conference viewer module 120, respectively, include optionscorresponding to the online conference. For example, the conferencepresenter module 116 and the conference viewer module 120 includeoptions for users of the respective client devices 104, 106 to select anavatar or digital image to be displayed in the user interfaces 114, 118of the online conference. Upon selection of an avatar by a user of theclient device 104, the avatar will be displayed at the other clientdevices participating in the online conference 112 in association withthe user of the client device 104. Similarly, upon selection of anavatar by a user of the client device 106, the avatar will be displayedat the other client devices participating in the online conference 112in association with the user of the client device 106.

Additionally, the conference viewer module 120 includes options in theuser interface 118 to request accommodations for the online conference112, such as sign language content corresponding to audio content of theonline conference. A user interacting with client device 106, forinstance, may provide a user input through interaction with the userinterface 118 of the conference viewer module 120 to request signlanguage content corresponding to audio content of the online conference112.

The conference manager module 110 is illustrated as including anaccessibility module 122 implemented at least partially in hardware of acomputing device to provide synchronized accessibility to client devicesin the online conference 112. Upon receipt of data corresponding to theuser input, the accessibility module 122 generates sign language contentand synchronizes the sign language content with the presentation contentof the online conference as described above and below. The accessibilitymodule 122 accesses a translation library 124 maintained in storage 126(e.g., a database or other type of storage device or computer-readablestorage medium as described further in relation to FIG. 7) of theconference system 102 to translate audio content of the onlineconference 112 to sign language. The translation library 124 includeswords and phrases from a spoken language along with sign language signsthat correspond to the words and phrases of the spoken language togenerate sign language content synchronized with presentation content ofthe online conference 112.

In one example, the accessibility module 122 causes an avatar selectedby a presenter at the client device 104 to use the translation library124 to translate the presenter's audio content in real time. Theaccessibility module 122 then provides the sign language content aspresented by the presenter's avatar to a viewer at the client device 106who requested the sign language content. In this way, the viewer at theclient device 106 receives sign language content in real time andsynchronized with visual presentation content, which is alsopersonalized using the presenter's selected avatar.

The conference manager module 110 is also illustrated as including adevice manager module 128. The device manager module 128 is implementedat least partially in hardware of a computing device to provideappropriate options and content to participants of the onlineconference. For instance, the device manager module 128 determines whichdevices participating in the online conference will receive presentationcontent and audio content, and which devices participating in the onlineconference will receive presentation content, audio content, and signlanguage content.

A user of the client device 106, for instance, may interact with a userinterface 118 to pre-register client devices as associated with a useraccount of the user with the conference system 102. Device registrationdata 130 is then maintained in the storage 126 by the conference system102 that is associated with this registration. The device registrationdata 130, for instance, may include data usable by the device mangermodule 128 to automatically provide sign language content withpresentation content during the online conference 112. In one example,the device manager module utilizes the device registration data 128 toprovide sign language content synchronized with presentation contentautomatically to a particular user's device at the beginning of anonline conference, without requiring the user to request thesynchronized sign language content.

The sign language content as synchronized with the presentation contentis output by the conference manager module 110, such as to the clientdevice 106 that requested the sign language content as part of theonline conference 112. Alternatively or additionally, the conferencemanager module 110 can store a version of the online conference 112 thatincludes the sign language content as synchronized with the presentationcontent in the storage 126 for subsequent access by additional devices.The conference system 102 can make the online conference 112, includingthe sign language content synchronized with the presentation content,available to additional devices, for example additional client devicesvia the network 108, e.g., part of a subscription-based service.

FIG. 2 depicts a system 200 in an example implementation showingoperation of the accessibility module 122 of FIG. 1 in greater detail.To begin this example, the accessibility module 122 receives audiocontent 202 and presentation content 204, such as from the conferencepresenter module 116 of the client device 104 as described above. Inthis example, the audio content 202 includes audio time stamps 206,which are indications of time during an audio recording that indicatewhere a particular component of the audio is located. The audio timestamps 206 can be inserted using markers in an audio recording, or canbe placed into a written transcription of an audio recording, to name afew examples. For instance, in an audio transcription, time stamps canbe inserted at regular intervals (e.g., every minute, every 30 seconds,and so on), at locations of the audio recording where speakers change,at locations of the audio recording where presentation content such as aslide changes, and so forth.

Additionally, the presentation content 204 includes presentation timestamps 208, which are indications of time during a presentationrecording that indicate where a particular component of the presentationis located. The presentation time stamps 208 can be inserted usingmarkers in a video recording, such as when a slide of a presentationchanges, when a scene of the video recording changes, at regularintervals (e.g., every minute, every 30 seconds, and so on), atcommercial breaks during the video recording, and so forth.

In this example, the audio content 202 and the presentation content 204are divided into segments, with an audio time stamp 206 and apresentation time stamp 208 at each segment. In this way, at least someof the audio time stamps 206 correspond to at least some of thepresentation time stamps 208 where the audio content 202 and thepresentation content 204 are divided into segments. For instance,consider an online conference that includes a slide presentation as thepresentation content 204 with a speaker describing the slidepresentation as the audio content 202. Each slide of the slidepresentation represents a segment of the audio content 202 and thepresentation content 204. The presentation content 204 in this instanceincludes presentation time stamps 208 that correspond to a slide of theslide presentation changing at the indicator of the segment.Additionally, the audio content 202 also includes audio time stamps 206that correspond to the slide of the slide presentation changing at theindicator of the segment. Other examples of corresponding time stampsbetween the audio content 202 and the presentation content 204 are alsocontemplated.

A sign language generation module 210 receives the audio content 202 andtranslates the audio content to sign language using the translationlibrary 124 described above. The sign language generation module 210parses the audio content 202 into words and/or phrases and translatesthe words and phrases into sign language content 212 based on thetranslations in the translation library 124. Consequently, the signlanguage content 212 includes a stream of sign actions representing thereceived audio content 202. The sign language generation module 210 canutilize a variety of techniques and/or applications for translating thewords and phrases to sign language, such as hidden Markov models (HMMs),dynamic time warping (DTW), neural networks, end-to-end automatic speechrecognition, and so forth.

Additionally, the sign language generation module 210 assigns timestamps to segments of the sign language content 212 and includes thetime stamps in the sign language content 212. The sign languagegeneration module 210 assigns the time stamps to the sign languagecontent 212 based on the audio time stamps 206 of the translated wordsand/or phrases of the audio content 202. For example, where the audiocontent 202 includes audio time stamps 206 for each spoken word, thesign language generation module 210 assigns the time stamp for eachspoken word to the sign action for the corresponding word. In anotherexample, where the audio content 202 includes audio time stamps 206 atten second intervals, the sign language generation module 210 assignsthe time stamp to the sign action corresponding to the word spoken atthe ten second intervals. Accordingly, the sign language generationmodule 210 assigns a time stamp to sign actions in the sign languagecontent 212 based on the time of the corresponding spoken words in theaudio content 202, rather than based on a duration of the sign languagecontent itself. Because at least some of the audio time stamps 206 occurat segments of the audio content 202 as discussed above, thecorresponding sign actions in the sign language content 212 include thesame time stamp at the segment as the audio time stamp for the spokenword.

Next, a synchronization module 214 generates synchronized presentationcontent 216 by synchronizing the sign language content 212 with thepresentation content 204. The synchronization module 214 synchronizesthe sign language content 212 with the presentation content 204 based ondifferences in durations of segments of the audio content 202 fromdurations of corresponding segments of the sign language content. Asdiscussed above, at least some of the audio time stamps 206 andpresentation time stamps 208 correspond to segments of the audio content202 and the presentation content 204. Recall that the sign languagecontent 212 includes time stamps that are assigned to sign actions basedon the time of the corresponding spoken words in the audio content 202,rather than the sign language itself. Therefore, the synchronizationmodule 214 aligns the time stamps included in the sign language content212 with the presentation time stamps 208 to ensure that the subjectmatter from the audio content 202 properly aligns with the presentationcontent 204 when displayed to a user.

The synchronization module 214 is configured to remedy problems arisingfrom the sign actions in the sign language content 212 being differentdurations than the words spoken in the audio content 202. For instance,to accommodate the difference in durations, the synchronization module214 can add a delay to segments of the presentation content 204, pausethe presentation content before beginning the next segment, provide anotification to a presenter of a live conference to slow down toaccommodate the sign language generation, and so forth. In a case wherethe presentation content 204 is augmented to accommodate the differentduration of the sign language content 212, such as pausing thepresentation before beginning a next segment, the synchronizedpresentation content 216 includes these augmentations for subsequentviewers.

Once the sign language content 212 is synchronized with the presentationcontent 204, the synchronized presentation content 216 is output to theclient device 106. The client device 106 can then present thesynchronized presentation content 216 in the user interface 118 of theconference viewer module 120. For example, the synchronized presentationcontent 216 includes an avatar selected by the presenter of the onlineconference 112, which executes the sign actions of the sign languagecontent as synchronized with the presentation content 204. In this way,the user of the client device 106 receives an immersive conferenceexperience that maintains coordination between the subject matter spokenby the presenter, although presented in sign language, with the visualsubject matter of the presentation content.

While the system 200 describes the accessibility module 122, includingthe sign language generation module 210 and the synchronization module214, being located at the conference system 102, one or more of thesemodules 122, 210, 214 may also exist at the client device 106. Forexample, the sign language generation module 210 along with thetranslation library 124 may be located at the client device 106 tofacilitate translation of the audio content 202 to sign language.Alternatively or additionally, the synchronization module 214 may belocated at the client device 106 to synchronize the sign languagecontent 212 with the presentation content 204, such as to account fornetwork latency.

Turning now to FIG. 3, a system 300 is depicted in an exampleimplementation showing operation of the synchronization module 214 ofFIG. 2 in greater detail. To begin this example, the sign languagegeneration module 210 receives audio content 302 as described above,such as from the conference presenter module 116 of the client device104 via the network 108. The audio content 302 includes audio segments304(a)-(c), which represent portions of the audio content such asdescriptions of different slides in a slide presentation, differentspeakers in the audio content, different items of content (i.e., desiredvideo versus advertisements, different scenes in a video, and so on),different content within a presentation (i.e., software demonstration tovideo to slideshow), individual words or phrases spoken by a presenter,and so forth. The audio content 302 in this example includes time stampsat least at the intersections between segments, although the audiocontent may include additional time stamps as well.

When the sign language generation module 210 receives the audio content302, the sign language generation module generates sign language content306 using the techniques described above. For example, the sign languagegeneration module 210 assigns time stamps to sign actions in the signlanguage content 306 based on the time of the corresponding spoken wordsin the audio content 302, rather than based on a duration of the signlanguage content itself. Like the audio content 302, the sign languagecontent 306 includes sign language segments 308(a)-(c). The signlanguage generation module 210 includes time stamps at the intersectionsbetween the sign language segments 308(a)-(c) based on the time of thecorresponding intersection of segments in the audio content 302, ratherthan based on a duration of the sign language segments themselves.

Next, the synchronization module 214 receives the audio content 302, thesign language content 306, and presentation content 310 that includes avisual component of the online conference as described above. Thepresentation content also includes presentation segments 312(a)-(c). Thepresentation segments 312(a)-(c) represent the same portions of contentas the audio segments 304(a)-(c), such as descriptions of differentslides in a slide presentation, different speakers in the audio content,different items of content (i.e., desired video versus advertisements,different scenes in a video, and so on), different content within apresentation (i.e., software demonstration to video to slideshow),individual words or phrases spoken by a presenter, and so forth.Additionally, the presentation segments 312(a)-(c) include time stampsat least at the intersections between segments, coinciding with the timestamps at the intersections between the audio segments 304(a)-(c) of theaudio content 302.

The synchronization module 214 is configured to synchronize the signlanguage content 306 with the presentation content in a variety of ways,based on a context of a particular online conference. In one example,the synchronization module 214 takes into consideration the time ittakes for the sign language generation module 210 to convert anindividual audio segment 304(a) into a sign language segment 308(a). Thesynchronization module 214 also takes into consideration the amount oftime to present the audio segment 304(a), such as through speakers orheadphones, compared to the amount of time to present the sign languagesegment 308(a), such as in a user interface with an avatar. Therefore,the synchronization module 214 can utilize the following equation tosynchronize each of the sign language segments 308(a)-(c) with each ofthe audio and presentation segments 304(a)-(c), 312(a)-(c):D _(t) =T1^(i)+(T3^(i) −T2^(i))

Where D_(t) is the total duration difference between a sign languagesegment and the corresponding presentation and audio segments, T1^(i) isan amount of time taken to convert an audio segment to sign language,T2^(i) is a duration of an audio segment as presented to viewers of theonline conference, and T3^(i) is a duration of the corresponding signlanguage segment as presented to viewers of the online conference. Thesynchronization module 214 determines duration differences for all, ormultiple, of the audio segments 304(a)-(c) and sign language segments308(a)-(c) of the audio content 302 and sign language content 306.

After determining the duration differences between the sign languagesegments 308(a)-(c) and the audio segments 304(a)-(c), thesynchronization module 214 generates synchronized presentation content314 that includes the sign language content 306 as synchronized with thepresentation content 310. To do so, the synchronization module 214adjusts the presentation content 310 based on a difference in theduration of the presentation segments 312(a)-(c) and the sign languagesegments 308(a)-(c). The synchronization module 214 may also adjust theaudio content 302 based on a difference in the duration of the audiosegments 304(a)-(c) and the sign language segments 308(a)-(c). Adjustingthe presentation content 310 and the audio content 302 can includeadding a delay to the presentation and audio segments, pausing thepresentation and audio segments, playing the presentation and audiosegments at a slower rate, playing the presentation and audio segmentsat a faster rate, and so forth.

The synchronized presentation content 314 is shown as including a delay316 interspersed between the audio segments 304(a)-(c), and thepresentation segments 312(a)-(c), to account for the time differencebetween the sign language segments 308(a)-(c) and the audio andpresentation segments. In this way, the audio segment 304(b) and thepresentation segment 312(b) begin at the same time as the sign languagesegment 308(b), accounting for extra time to generate and display theprevious sign language segment 308(a). Similarly, the audio segment304(c) and the presentation segment 312(c) begin at the same time as thesign language segment 308(c), again accounting for extra time togenerate and display the previous sign language segment 308(b). Thedelay 316 ensures that the presentation segments, such as a slide,correspond with subject matter in both the audio segment describing theslide and the sign language translation of the audio segment in a signlanguage segment for the slide.

The synchronized presentation content 314, including the sign languagesegments 308(a)-(c) and the information to synchronize the sign languagesegments with the presentation segments 312(a)-(c) (i.e., delay or pausedata), can be stored with the presentation content 310. This allowsusers who wish to view the online conference after it is recorded toconsume the content of the online conference, including the signlanguage content 306 of the synchronized presentation content 314 ifdesired, without a delay to account for generation of the sign languagecontent. Additionally, storing the sign language segments 308(a)-(c) andthe information to synchronize the sign language segments with thepresentation segments allows users to rewind or fast forward either thesign language content 306 or the presentation content 310. After theuser concludes a rewind or fast forward, the sign language content 306and the presentation content 310 play in sync based on the informationto synchronize the sign language segments with the presentationsegments, with the appropriate sign language content that corresponds tothe presentation content being displayed.

For instance, if a viewer wants to rewind to the previous slide of aslide presentation in a recorded online conference, the viewer canrewind the presentation content 306 to the beginning of the previousslide. Using the information to synchronize the sign language segmentswith the presentation segments, the synchronization module 214 initiatesthe sign language content 306 with the presentation content 310 at thebeginning of the description of the previous slide. On the other hand,if the viewer wants to rewind to view sign language actions of the signlanguage content 306 that he recently missed viewing, the viewer canrewind the sign language content to the correct location. Using theinformation to synchronize the sign language segments with thepresentation segments, the synchronization module 214 displays thecorresponding presentation content 310 at the designated sign languagelocation.

In another example, the online conference is presented in real time toviewers. The synchronization module 214 identifies the context of theonline conference as being presented in real time, and begins tosynchronize the sign language content 306 with the presentation content310. To do so, the synchronization module 214 again synchronizes thesign language content 306 with the presentation content 310 based ondifferences in durations of the audio segments 304(a)-(c) from durationsof the corresponding sign language segments 308(a)-(c). This may includeinserting delays into the presentation content 310 or pausing thepresentation content to account for additional time required to generateand present the sign language content 306 to a viewer of the onlineconference, as described above.

Although synchronizing the sign language content 306 with thepresentation content 310 improves the experience of viewers withphysical disabilities during the online conference, in a real timeconference scenario other features of the online conference may notalign with the synchronized sign language content and presentationcontent. For instance, many online conferencing systems include a chatbox that allows participants of the online conference to enter text tocommunicate with one another, ask questions of the presenter, and soforth. When the presentation content 310 is delayed to account forsynchronization with the sign language content 306, a viewer receivingthe synchronized presentation content 314 likely will not receivecommunications in a chat box that correspond to the synchronized contentthat the viewer is currently viewing.

Understanding that the online conference is occurring in real time, thesynchronization module 214 can inform a presenter of the onlineconference to adjust the speed of his presentation to account for thedifferences in durations of the sign language segments 308(a)-(c) fromthe durations of the presentation and audio segments 304(a)-(c),312(a)-(c). The presenter notification can include a pop-up window, avisual timing comparison between the sign language content 306 and thereal time audio content 302 and/or the presentation content 310, anon-modal notification, an audible notification, a haptic notification,and so forth. Giving a presenter a notification to adjust timing of hisor her presentation in real time improves the overall experience of allconference participants, allowing them to collaborate during the onlineconference while consuming the same presentation content regardless ofdisability.

Turning now to FIG. 4, a system 400 is depicted in an exampleimplementation showing operation of the conference system 102 of FIG. 1,including presenting synchronized presentation content to selectedclient devices utilizing the techniques described herein. To begin, anonline conference is initiated, such as by conference participantsresponding to an invitation to the online conference, logging in to theonline conference with a username and password, and so forth. Theconference participants can include one or more presenters and/or one ormore viewers. In this example, a conference presenter utilizes clientdevice 402 including a conference presenter module 404, which mayinclude functionality described in relation to the client device 104 andconference presenter module 116 of FIG. 1. Additionally, conferenceviewers in this example utilize client devices 406, 408, and 410, whichinclude conference viewer modules 412, 414, and 416, respectively. Theclient devices 406, 408, and 410 and accompanying conference viewermodules 412, 414, and 416 may include functionality described inrelation to the client device 106 and the conference viewer module 120of FIG. 1.

As part of the online conference, the conference presenter module 404and/or the conference viewer modules 412, 414, 416 may presentconference participants with an option to select and link an identifiersuch as a photograph, digital image, avatar, and so forth with theirprofile in the online conference. The identifier provides the conferenceparticipants with an indication of which of the other conferenceparticipants performed an action during the online conference, such asspeaking during an audio conversation or entering text into a chat box.

When the online conference begins, a presenter utilizing the conferencepresenter module 404 of the client device 402 can begin displayingpresentation content 418 and audio content 420 as described above. Theconference presenter module 404 sends the presentation content 418 andthe audio content 420 to the conference manager module 110 of theconference system 102. The conference manager module 110 thendistributes the presentation content 418 and the audio content 420 tothe conference viewer modules 412, 414, and 418 of the respective clientdevices 406, 408, 410.

In relation to the online conference, the conference manager module 110may receive conference feedback 422 from the conference viewer module414 of the client device 408 requesting accommodations for the onlineconference. For instance, the conference feedback 422 is sent inresponse to a selection in a user interface of the conference viewermodule 414, automatically when the online conference begins based on auser profile of the viewer that indicates the viewer desiresaccommodations for online conferences, and so forth. The conferencefeedback 422 in this example indicates a request for sign languagecontent to be presented concurrently with the presentation content 418of the online conference.

In response to receiving the conference feedback 422 indicating therequest for sign language content, the conference manager module 110first generates sign language content 424 by converting audio in theaudio content 420 to sign language, as described above. Then, thesynchronization module 214 of the conference manager module 110generates synchronized presentation content 426 by synchronizing thesign language content 424 with the presentation content 418 based ondifferences in durations of segments of the audio content 420 fromdurations of corresponding segments of the sign language content, alsodescribed above. The conference manager module 110 outputs thesynchronized presentation content 426 to the conference viewer module414 of the client device 408.

When the conference viewer module 414 of the client device 408 receivesthe synchronized presentation content 426, a user interface of theconference viewer module displays the sign language content 424 assynchronized with the presentation content 418. To do so, the conferenceviewer module 414 can cause an avatar selected by the presenter of theonline conference to become animated in the user interface, and executethe sign language content as though the presenter herself was executingthe online conference in sign language. Alternatively, the conferenceviewer module 414 can present a default avatar to execute the signlanguage content, an avatar selected by the viewer of the client device408 to execute the sign language content, and so forth.

Meanwhile, the client devices 406 and 410 continue to receive thepresentation content 418 and the audio content 420 without disruption asthe online conference proceeds. As discussed above, the synchronizationmodule 214 of the conference manager module 110 can determine a contextof the online conference and respond to events during the onlineconference according to the determined context. In one example, thesynchronization module 214 can determine that the online conference waspreviously recorded (i.e., not happening in real time). Thesynchronization module 214 determines, based on this context, that nocoordination is needed between the client devices 406, 408, and 410 whoare viewing the online conference. Based on the context, thesynchronization module 214 also inserts delays or pauses thepresentation content 418 as needed for synchronization with the signlanguage content 424, knowing that the synchronized presentation content426 does not need to correlate with the other client devices 406, 410.

In another example, the synchronization module 214 can determine thatthe online conference is happening in real time. The synchronizationmodule 214 determines, based on this context, that the online conferenceshould be coordinated between the client devices 402, 406, 408, 410participating in the online conference. In a real time online conferencescenario, the synchronization module 214 can ensure that each of theviewing participants at the client devices 406, 408, 410 receive thepresentation content 418, the audio content 420, and/or the synchronizedpresentation content 426 at the same or similar time.

To do so, the synchronization module 214 determines if and when thepresentation content 418 and the audio content 420 are separated fromthe display of the synchronized presentation content 426, such as bycomparing the difference to a threshold amount of time (e.g., fiveseconds, 30 seconds, one minute, etc.). If the difference betweendisplay of the presentation content 418 and the audio content 420 anddisplay of the synchronized presentation content 426 exceeds thethreshold, the conference manager module 110 can output conferencefeedback 428 to the conference presenter module 404 as described above.This alerts the presenter utilizing the client device 402 to alter thespeed of the presentation content 418 and the audio content 420 so thatall of the conference participants are receiving the content at the sameor similar time, allowing them to interact during the conference withdialogue, in a chat box, and so forth.

Next, consider FIG. 5, which depicts an example implementation showing auser interface 500 that is output to a client device in an onlineconference utilizing the techniques for synchronized sign language andpresentation content as described herein. The user interface 500contains various portions, including presentation content 502. Thepresentation content 502 in this instance is a slide presentation, butmay also include a software demonstration, a video, a screen share, andso on. A second portion of the user interface 500 includes indicators504 of other online conference participants, giving a user of the clientdevice that is outputting the user interface a visual representation ofthe other participants in the online conference. Another portion of theuser interface 500 includes an indicator of the presenter 506 of theonline conference, such as the presenter's name and a photograph of thepresenter.

The user interface 500 also includes a sign language portion 508, whichis displayed in response to a request by a user of the client devicethat is outputting the user interface. The sign language portion 508displays an avatar executing sign actions that correspond to the audioof the online conference. The sign actions executed by the avatar in thesign language portion 508 are synchronized with the presentation content502 using the techniques described herein. For instance, thesynchronization module 214 generates synchronized presentation content216 that includes sign actions to be executed by the avatar in the signlanguage portion of the user interface 500. The synchronizedpresentation content 216 can include a delay or pause to ensure that thesign language content executed by the avatar in the sign languageportion 508 of the user interface 500 is synchronized with thepresentation content 502, for example. The user interface 500 providesbut one example of possible interfaces for users who request signlanguage as part of an online conference that gives the users animmersive and cohesive online conference experience.

Example Procedures

The following discussion describes techniques that may be implementedutilizing the previously described systems and devices. Aspects of eachof the procedures may be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, ora combination thereof. The procedures are shown as a set of blocks thatspecify operations performed by one or more devices and are notnecessarily limited to the orders shown for performing the operations bythe respective blocks. In portions of the following discussion,reference will be made to FIGS. 1-5.

FIG. 6 depicts a procedure 600 in an example implementation in whichsign language content is synchronized with presentation content of anonline conference in a conferencing system of a digital mediumenvironment. First, presentation content and audio content are receivedas part of the online conference from a client device (block 602). Thepresentation content is a visual component of the online conference,such as a slide presentation, a software demonstration, a screen share,a video, and so forth. The audio content is audio to be playedconcurrently with the presentation content, such as a speaker describingthe presentation content, music to accompany the presentation content,and so on. The client device from which the presentation content and theaudio content are received may include a conference presenter module 116configured to manage the online conference, such as initiating theonline conference, granting permissions during the online conference,terminating the online conference, and so forth. The client device mayalternatively include a conference viewer module 120 configured to viewthe online conference and make contributions to the online conferencebased on designated permissions, such as contributing to a discussion,asking a question, entering a chat in a chat box, and so on.

Sign language content is then generated by converting audio in the audiocontent to sign language (block 604). For instance, the accessibilitymodule 122 accesses the translation library 124 to translate the audiocontent of the online conference to sign language. The translationlibrary 124 includes words and phrases from a spoken language along withsign language signs that correspond to the words and phrases of thespoken language to generate sign language content for the onlineconference.

Display of the sign language content is synchronized with thepresentation content in a user interface based on differences indurations of segments of the audio content from durations ofcorresponding segments of the sign language content (block 606). Thesynchronization module 214 can synchronize the sign language contentwith the presentation content using time stamps included with the audiocontent and included with the presentation content. In order to accountfor differences in the durations of the segments of the audio contentfrom durations of corresponding segments of the sign language content,the synchronization module 214 can add a delay to the correspondingpresentation content segments, pause the corresponding presentationsegments, play the corresponding presentation segments at a slower orfaster speed, and so forth.

Finally, the sign language content is output as synchronized with thepresentation content (block 608). For instance, sign actions of the signlanguage content can be executed by an avatar selected by a presenter ofthe online conference at a conference viewer module of a client deviceto emulate the presenter giving the presentation in sign language.Alternatively or additionally, the sign language content as synchronizedwith the presentation content can be output to storage 126 forsubsequent access by users who want to view the online conference withsign language. Storing the sign language content as synchronized withthe presentation content gives viewers instant access to thesynchronized presentation content, and allows for additional featuressuch as fast-forwarding and rewinding of the content without partingfrom synchronization between the presentation content and the signlanguage content.

Using the techniques described herein, the experience of an onlineconference is enhanced for not only participants who desireaccessibility accommodations, but all participants of the onlineconference. Presenting sign language content as synchronized withpresentation content allows viewers to have an immersive and cohesiveexperience while viewing the online conference. Additionally, presentingsign language content as synchronized with presentation content usingthe techniques described herein allows both participants withaccessibility accommodations, and those without, to interact during anonline conference that is happening in real time while consuming thesame content at the same time. Consequently, online conferences are moreaccessible and more effective at communicating to all participantsregardless of a disability.

Example System and Device

FIG. 7 illustrates an example system generally at 700 that includes anexample computing device 702 that is representative of one or morecomputing systems and/or devices that may implement the varioustechniques described herein. This is illustrated through inclusion ofthe conference manager module 110. The computing device 702 may be, forexample, a server of a service provider, a device associated with aclient (e.g., a client device), an on-chip system, and/or any othersuitable computing device or computing system.

The example computing device 702 as illustrated includes a processingsystem 704, one or more computer-readable media 706, and one or more I/Ointerface 708 that are communicatively coupled, one to another. Althoughnot shown, the computing device 702 may further include a system bus orother data and command transfer system that couples the variouscomponents, one to another. A system bus can include any one orcombination of different bus structures, such as a memory bus or memorycontroller, a peripheral bus, a universal serial bus, and/or a processoror local bus that utilizes any of a variety of bus architectures. Avariety of other examples are also contemplated, such as control anddata lines.

The processing system 704 is representative of functionality to performone or more operations using hardware. Accordingly, the processingsystem 704 is illustrated as including hardware element 710 that may beconfigured as processors, functional blocks, and so forth. This mayinclude implementation in hardware as an application specific integratedcircuit or other logic device formed using one or more semiconductors.The hardware elements 710 are not limited by the materials from whichthey are formed or the processing mechanisms employed therein. Forexample, processors may be comprised of semiconductor(s) and/ortransistors (e.g., electronic integrated circuits (ICs)). In such acontext, processor-executable instructions may beelectronically-executable instructions.

The computer-readable storage media 706 is illustrated as includingmemory/storage 712. The memory/storage 712 represents memory/storagecapacity associated with one or more computer-readable media. Thememory/storage component 712 may include volatile media (such as randomaccess memory (RAM)) and/or nonvolatile media (such as read only memory(ROM), Flash memory, optical disks, magnetic disks, and so forth). Thememory/storage component 712 may include fixed media (e.g., RAM, ROM, afixed hard drive, and so on) as well as removable media (e.g., Flashmemory, a removable hard drive, an optical disc, and so forth). Thecomputer-readable media 706 may be configured in a variety of other waysas further described below.

Input/output interface(s) 708 are representative of functionality toallow a user to enter commands and information to computing device 702,and also allow information to be presented to the user and/or othercomponents or devices using various input/output devices. Examples ofinput devices include a keyboard, a cursor control device (e.g., amouse), a microphone, a scanner, touch functionality (e.g., capacitiveor other sensors that are configured to detect physical touch), a camera(e.g., which may employ visible or non-visible wavelengths such asinfrared frequencies to recognize movement as gestures that do notinvolve touch), and so forth. Examples of output devices include adisplay device (e.g., a monitor or projector), speakers, a printer, anetwork card, tactile-response device, and so forth. Thus, the computingdevice 702 may be configured in a variety of ways as further describedbelow to support user interaction.

Various techniques may be described herein in the general context ofsoftware, hardware elements, or program modules. Generally, such modulesinclude routines, programs, objects, elements, components, datastructures, and so forth that perform particular tasks or implementparticular abstract data types. The terms “module,” “functionality,” and“component” as used herein generally represent software, firmware,hardware, or a combination thereof. The features of the techniquesdescribed herein are platform-independent, meaning that the techniquesmay be implemented on a variety of commercial computing platforms havinga variety of processors.

An implementation of the described modules and techniques may be storedon or transmitted across some form of computer-readable media. Thecomputer-readable media may include a variety of media that may beaccessed by the computing device 702. By way of example, and notlimitation, computer-readable media may include “computer-readablestorage media” and “computer-readable signal media.”

“Computer-readable storage media” may refer to media and/or devices thatenable persistent and/or non-transitory storage of information incontrast to mere signal transmission, carrier waves, or signals per se.Thus, computer-readable storage media refers to non-signal bearingmedia. The computer-readable storage media includes hardware such asvolatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable media and/orstorage devices implemented in a method or technology suitable forstorage of information such as computer readable instructions, datastructures, program modules, logic elements/circuits, or other data.Examples of computer-readable storage media may include, but are notlimited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology,CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical storage, harddisks, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or othermagnetic storage devices, or other storage device, tangible media, orarticle of manufacture suitable to store the desired information andwhich may be accessed by a computer.

“Computer-readable signal media” may refer to a signal-bearing mediumthat is configured to transmit instructions to the hardware of thecomputing device 702, such as via a network. Signal media typically mayembody computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules,or other data in a modulated data signal, such as carrier waves, datasignals, or other transport mechanism. Signal media also include anyinformation delivery media. The term “modulated data signal” means asignal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed insuch a manner as to encode information in the signal. By way of example,and not limitation, communication media include wired media such as awired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such asacoustic, RF, infrared, and other wireless media.

As previously described, hardware elements 710 and computer-readablemedia 706 are representative of modules, programmable device logicand/or fixed device logic implemented in a hardware form that may beemployed in some embodiments to implement at least some aspects of thetechniques described herein, such as to perform one or moreinstructions. Hardware may include components of an integrated circuitor on-chip system, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), afield-programmable gate array (FPGA), a complex programmable logicdevice (CPLD), and other implementations in silicon or other hardware.In this context, hardware may operate as a processing device thatperforms program tasks defined by instructions and/or logic embodied bythe hardware as well as a hardware utilized to store instructions forexecution, e.g., the computer-readable storage media describedpreviously.

Combinations of the foregoing may also be employed to implement varioustechniques described herein. Accordingly, software, hardware, orexecutable modules may be implemented as one or more instructions and/orlogic embodied on some form of computer-readable storage media and/or byone or more hardware elements 710. The computing device 702 may beconfigured to implement particular instructions and/or functionscorresponding to the software and/or hardware modules. Accordingly,implementation of a module that is executable by the computing device702 as software may be achieved at least partially in hardware, e.g.,through use of computer-readable storage media and/or hardware elements710 of the processing system 704. The instructions and/or functions maybe executable/operable by one or more articles of manufacture (forexample, one or more computing devices 702 and/or processing systems704) to implement techniques, modules, and examples described herein.

The techniques described herein may be supported by variousconfigurations of the computing device 702 and are not limited to thespecific examples of the techniques described herein. This functionalitymay also be implemented all or in part through use of a distributedsystem, such as over a “cloud” 714 via a platform 716 as describedbelow.

The cloud 714 includes and/or is representative of a platform 716 forresources 718. The platform 716 abstracts underlying functionality ofhardware (e.g., servers) and software resources of the cloud 714. Theresources 718 may include applications and/or data that can be utilizedwhile computer processing is executed on servers that are remote fromthe computing device 702. Resources 718 can also include servicesprovided over the Internet and/or through a subscriber network, such asa cellular or Wi-Fi network.

The platform 716 may abstract resources and functions to connect thecomputing device 702 with other computing devices. The platform 716 mayalso serve to abstract scaling of resources to provide a correspondinglevel of scale to encountered demand for the resources 718 that areimplemented via the platform 716. Accordingly, in an interconnecteddevice embodiment, implementation of functionality described herein maybe distributed throughout the system 700. For example, the functionalitymay be implemented in part on the computing device 702 as well as viathe platform 716 that abstracts the functionality of the cloud 714.

CONCLUSION

Although the invention has been described in language specific tostructural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understoodthat the invention defined in the appended claims is not necessarilylimited to the specific features or acts described. Rather, the specificfeatures and acts are disclosed as example forms of implementing theclaimed invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. In a digital medium environment, a methodimplemented by at least one computing device, the method comprising:receiving, by the at least one computing device, presentation contentvia a presentation stream and audio content via an audio stream separatefrom the presentation stream; generating, by the at least one computingdevice, sign language content by converting audio in the audio contentreceived via the audio stream using a translation library to convertwords or phrases in the audio content to sign language; synchronizing,by the at least one computing device, the sign language content fordisplay with the presentation content in a user interface bysynchronizing sign language timestamps of the sign language content withpresentation timestamps of the presentation content; and outputting, bythe at least one computing device, the sign language content assynchronized with the presentation content.
 2. The method of claim 1,wherein the audio time stamps indicate durations of segments of theaudio content.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating signlanguage content further includes assigning audio time stamps of theaudio stream as the sign language timestamps of the sign languagecontent.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the presentation time stampsindicating durations of segments of the presentation content andcoinciding with at least some of the audio time stamps, and wherein thesynchronizing is further based on differences in the durations of thesegments of the presentation content from durations of the correspondingsegments of the sign language content.
 5. The method of claim 1, whereinthe synchronizing the sign language content with the presentationcontent further includes adding a delay to the presentation content tosynchronize the sign language content with the presentation content. 6.The method of claim 1, wherein the synchronizing the sign languagecontent with the presentation content further includes presenting anotification to a presenter at a client device to adjust a speed of theonline conference to account for differences in durations of segments ofthe audio content from durations of corresponding segments of the signlanguage content.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the outputting thesign language content comprises displaying an avatar to execute signactions of the sign language content at an additional client device. 8.The method of claim 1, wherein the outputting the sign language contentcomprises storing the sign language content as synchronized with thepresentation content for subsequent user access.
 9. The method of claim1, wherein the presentation content comprises one or more of a slidepresentation, a software demonstration, a video, or a screen share. 10.In a digital medium environment for conducting an online conference in aconference system, a system comprising: means for receiving presentationcontent and audio content as part of the online conference from a clientdevice; means for generating sign language content by converting audioin the audio content to sign language; means for synchronizing displayof the sign language content with the presentation content in a userinterface based on a difference in a duration of a segment of the audiocontent from a duration of a corresponding segment of the sign languagecontent, the synchronizing means including means for presenting anotification to a presenter at the client device to adjust a speed ofthe online conference to account for the differences in the durations ofthe segments of the audio content from the durations of thecorresponding segments of the sign language content; and means foroutputting the sign language content as synchronized with thepresentation content.
 11. The system as described in claim 10, whereinthe audio content includes audio time stamps indicating the duration ofthe segment of the audio content, and the means for generating the signlanguage content is further configured to assign the audio time stampsto the corresponding segment of the sign language content.
 12. Thesystem as described in claim 10, wherein the means for synchronizing thesign language content with the presentation content is furtherconfigured to add a delay to the presentation content to synchronize thesign language content with the presentation content.
 13. The system asdescribed in claim 10, wherein the receiving means is configured toreceive the presentation content via a stream separate from a streamused to receive the audio content.
 14. In a digital medium environment,a method implemented by at least one computing device, the methodcomprising: receiving, by the at least one computing device,presentation content and audio content via one or more streams;generating, by the at least one computing device, sign language contentby converting the audio content using a translation library to convertwords or phrases in the audio content to sign language; assigning, bythe at least one computing device, sign language timestamps as part ofthe sign language content based on audio timestamps from the audiocontent; synchronizing, by the at least one computing device, the signlanguage content for display with the presentation content in a userinterface based on the sign language timestamps and the presentationtimestamps; and outputting, by the at least one computing device, thesign language content as synchronized with the presentation content. 15.The method of claim 14, wherein the audio time stamps indicate durationsof segments of the audio content.
 16. The method of claim 14, whereinthe presentation content comprises one or more of a slide presentation,a software demonstration, a video, or a screen share.
 17. The method ofclaim 16, wherein the presentation time stamps indicating durations ofsegments of the presentation content and coinciding with at least someof the audio time stamps, and wherein the synchronizing is further basedon differences in the durations of the segments of the presentationcontent from durations of the corresponding segments of the signlanguage content.
 18. The method of claim 14, wherein the synchronizingthe sign language content with the presentation content further includesadding a delay to the presentation content to synchronize the signlanguage content with the presentation content.
 19. The method of claim14, wherein the synchronizing the sign language content with thepresentation content further includes presenting a notification to apresenter at a client device to adjust a speed of the online conferenceto account for differences in durations of segments of the audio contentfrom durations of corresponding segments of the sign language content.20. The method of claim 14, wherein the presentation content is receivedvia a stream of the one or more streams separate from a stream of theone or more streams used to receive the audio content.